The conference is held at the St. Petersburg campus of the University
of South Florida. Early registration (through Jan. 25) will be $175,
while registration after that will be $200. Special rates of $160
are available for students, teachers, and those in the Lifelong Writers
category.

For more information or to register by phone with a credit card, interested
persons should call (813) 974-2403, ext. 507.

A three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, Hiaasen writes a column that appears
three times a week in The Miami Herald. He exposes local scandals
and criticizes corruption in the state. Also a novelist, Hiaasen has written
Sick Puppy, Double Whammy, and Tourist Season.

Smiley won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle
Award for her 1992 novel, A Thousand Acres, which has been
made into a film starring Michele Pfieffer and Jessica Lange. She
is also the author of Moo, a satire of academia and society, along with
The Age of Grief, The Greenlanders, Barn Blind, Duplicate Keys,
and Ordinary Love & Good Will.

Goldberg is the author of the novel Bee Season, which
revolves around the National Spelling Bee. Her stories have appeared
in Virgin Fiction, Eclectic Literary Forum, and American
Writing. She has also written an audio book, The Commemorative.

Cheuse is the author of three novels, two collections of short fiction,
and the non-fiction book, Fall Out of Heaven. He is
also a regular contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

Kalliope editor publishesher first poetry collection

Mary Sue Koeppel, editor of the women's literary magazine, Kalliope
and a communications instructor at FCCJ's South Campus, has seen the publication
of her first collection of poems. The book is entitled In the Library
of Silences: Poems of Loss (Rhiannon, $7).

An Amazon.com review lauded the collection for the poems' balance and
"multitude of meanings that rise from clean, sharp, well-crafted images."

Other poems range from the whimsical to the "horrifying loss of family
members by an accident."

Poetry reading set Dec. 6

Poets and writers are invited to read their work at Minnie's 1341
(1341 University Blvd. N.) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6. Since seating
will be limited, interested persons should confirm their space by calling
Joan Cates (744-7660) or Lynn Skapyak (778-8000) or by e-mailing lyharlin@aol.com
or Minnies1341@prodigy.net.

Penelope's Other Lesson

By TOM LANE

Several years ago, the editors of a number of news magazines got together
to prove what most of us already knew: Nudity sells.

Unconcerned with quality, each editor scribbled a chapter for a novel.
No editor knew what another was writing. The chapters appeared together
as a paperback novel entitled, Naked Came the Stranger by
Penelope Ash. Its cover featured a nude, and it became a bestseller.

There is another less obvious lesson here: Quality writing does
not count in determining sales. That little was made of the horrific prose
explains why today's literary fiction, more often vapid than sound, sells
sufficiently to please its publishers. The publishers, conglomerate-owned,
have money machines capable of promoting, distributing, and selling any
type of writing they choose.

Books by and about the famous as well as those centering around well-known
events top their lists as their profitability is assured. Literary
fiction is neglected. Its limited appeal, and non-material concerns,
make it an unlikely source of profit.

Not too long ago, an article in Poets & Writers asked
young editors at major publishing houses how they selected manuscripts.
The article put a positive spin on the publishers' neglect of literary
fiction, calling it giving the editors, "greater freedom in their acquisitions."

The editors' remarks suggested that feel-good editing is the only editing
going on at these houses re: literary fiction.

The editors admitted that they were getting paid "to publish what we
love." Some comments: "Do I love this?. . .Does it speak to me?. . .Usually
you know right away whether a manuscript is right for you."

That an occasional quality work like Frank McCourt's Angela's
Ashes still appears doesn't vindicate the editors. It just shows
that, just as no one wins all the time, so no one fails all the time.

My reading of current literary fiction is limited almost exclusively
to the highlights of new works published in magazines like Poets
& Writers, and, as I wrote in an earlier essay, I find them
instantly forgettable.
More reading isn't needed to justify my belief. To paraphrase Oscar
Wilde, you don't have to drink an entire cask of wine to determine it tastes
like bilge water.

The interviews with these newer writers often shows them using expletives
freely like barroom punks, and for communicating the most complex of life's
situations, their collective vocabularies appear limited to four words:
lot, hard, thing, and stuff.

Reading a lot of these new writers' stuff makes it hard for me to anticipate
the elegance thing.
Another reason for the decline in quality prose is the politics of
inclusion which dictates that all peoples, persuasions, and isms be equally
represented at all times with none daring to excel. If all the potatoes
in your sack haven't the same size and shape with an identical number of
eyes, then they don't exist.

I read too in the Writers' Chronicle that many literate
people now prefer genre fiction over the newer literary fiction. They find
it reads closer to life, and often with characters more fully developed
than its literary counterpart which tends to have dysfunctional characters
who speak only to themselves, or who whine and rant against the usual suspects
through diatribes both tedious and tiresome. I agree, and offer Tony Hillerman's
Jim Chee, Navajo cop, as an example of a genre character more complex and
real than most in the newer literary line.

In introductory computer classes, a reference is sometimes made to the
GIGO rule. GIGO stands for "garbage in, garbage out." It's to remind students
that sophisticated computer ware alone cannot elevate paltry input. Let
the feel-good editors take note. GIGO applies too in publishing. Regardless
of the costly hardback cover, the elaborate book jacket, and the allegedly
prestigious logo, if garbage is all that goes into it, then garbage is
all that's going to come out.

Festival extends novel deadline

The novel contest deadline has been extended to Jan. 2, according to
the Florida First Coast Writers' Festival. That date will also be
the deadlines for the contests in poetry and stories.

The Festival has two poetry contests: the Douglas Freels Poetry
Prize and the Robert Grimes "Good Earth" Poetry Prize. Poetry in
the Freels category will focus on the traditional themes of poetry
(love, rejection, death, etc.), while the "Good Earth" category will focus
on poetry involving ecology, love of nature, etc. Each category has
a $5 entry fee per poem.

In either poetry category, each entry should be no longer than 30 lines
and each entry should be printed on one sheet of paper. One version
should have the poet's name, address, phone number, and e-mail address
(if available), while no identification should be on the other version.

Each short story should be no longer than 6,000 words. One
copy should have the author's name, address, phone number, and any e-mail
address; the other copy should only have the text and the title.
Each story will have a $10 entry fee.

Novel entries may be of any genre. There is no minimum or maximum
length, and the writer may leave his or her name on the manuscript.
The contest wants the entire manuscript. It will not need a synopsis
of the story.

Entries in the poetry and short fiction contests will NOT be returned,
so entrants should not submit their only copies. Adequate first-class
postage should be included for novels so that these may be returned.

Checks or money orders for entry fees should be made out to WRITERS
and all entries should be mailed to Contests, FCCJ North Campus,
Box 21, 4501 Capper Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32218.
In poetry, identical amounts will be given to the winners of the Douglas
Freels and Robert Grimes prizes: first prize, a $110; second, $75; third,
$60; in short fiction, first prize, $200; second, $100; third, $100; in
novels, first prize, $500 combined prize from North Florida Writers and
Writers' Festival; second, $200 from WF; third, $100, from WF.

All entries should be original and unpublished.

For more information, consult the Festival's homepage at http://www.fccj.org/wf/.

Middleburg poet sings praises of America

A revised and updated collection of American poetry is being published
by SynergEbooks.com. Author Joel L. Young's American Lyricon, A Poet
Sings of America recently won a Clara award.

Young has been inspired by John Wayne's classic recitation,"America,
Why I Love Her," Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA," John Cougar Mellencamp's
Heartland ballad, "Little Pink Houses," along with traditional themes from
"The Star Spangled Banner" to "America the Beautiful."

Young outlines his experiences from Appalachia to the Rockies.
His influences range from the Florida boondocks to the streets of New York.
He writes of the people, music, ideals, and struggles this country has
faced since the 1600s to the new millennia.

"I wanted to tell a story of America through poetry," Young said. "From
the landing of the Mayflower to present day, I wanted to present a lexicon
of music, land, and the people in harmony and the struggles they've faced."

Author Geri Ahearn writes of American Lyricon, "I strongly recommend
that an audience of young adults as well as the older generation would
find this book delightful to the soul."

Want to travel, write, and take courses?

If you want to combine writing, travel, and education, then you need
to check out the study-travel tours scheduled this summer by FCCJ to London-Stratford,
Italy, and China.

Writers will get a chance to see Michelangelo�s Sistine Chapel ceiling,
Parliament and Big Ben, or 7,000 ancient terracotta soldiers.

On the Italy tour (May 16-26), students will first see Rome and then
travel north through Pompeii, Florence, Sorrento, Assisi, to Venice.
Students will visit St. Peter�s Cathedral, the Colosseum, Florence�s Palazzo
Vecchio and the Piazza Della Signoria. Travel cost will be $2,300,
with an initial deposit of $95 being due when the application is made,
with $400 being due 30 days later and $1,805 by Feb. 5.

The Italy tour students would take any two of these courses: Art
Appreciation (ARH 1000), Drawing I (ART 1300C), Painting I (ART 1301),
Painting II (ART 2510C), or Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (ART 2808C).
These would be taught by Professors Ron Wetherell (904/696-2013) or Eleanor
Allen (eallen@fccj.org).

A London-to-Stratford tour (May 22-June 6) will focus on British theater,
film, and TV, plus the famous landmarks and museums of Britain�s capital.
Students will see classic plays in the New Globe Theatre, the National
Theatre, and newer productions at the popular West End theatres.
They will visit the British Broadcasting Corporation�s complex and London�s
equivalent of Hollywood. A trip to London will also feature the National
Gallery, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul�s Cathedral, Buckingham
Palace, and other sites. A side-trip is planned to Stratford-upon-Avon
to see Shakespeare�s home, burial spot, Anne Hathaway�s house, and a production
of a play at the Stratford Theatre. Travel cost will be $2,510, with
$50 due with the application; $675 by Jan. 15; $950, by Feb. 28; and the
remaining $875 by April 1.

The London tour students would take any two of these courses:
Humanities Forum: British Culture (HUM 2021), Humanities: Mainstream
of Cultures (HUM 2236), Theatre Appreciation (THE 2000), or Fundamentals
of Speech Communications (SPC 2600), taught by Professors Claude J. Smith
Jr. (904/646-2338; cjsmith@fccj.org) or Howard Denson (hdenson@fccj.org).

The 12-day China trip (June 24-July 5) will explore the legendary Silk
Road. The trip will begin in Beijing and then take students to Urumqi
(capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region), Turpan, Liuyuang, Dunhuang,
Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Xian, and Hong Kong. Students will visit the
city in the world farthest removed from any ocean, a glacier lake 5,800
feet above sea level, a depression 150 meters below sea level, and the
Mogao Caves, a complex of 492 grottoes, some dating back to 366 AD.
In Xian, students will visit the underground Army of Terra-Cotta Warriors
of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China.

Travel cost will be $2,800, with a $100 deposit due with the application,
$400 due 30 days later, $1,000 due Jan. 15, and the $1,300 balance on Mar.
8. Students may apply after Mar. 8 until the program is full.
Books and tuition will be extra for all tours, but roundtrip airfare,
meals, lodging, and admittance fees are included. Students will be
responsible for visa application fees, travel insurance, airport taxes,
expenses of a personal nature, special meals, and any extra excursions.

Dr. Brenda Simmons, Extended Studies director, should receive all inquiries,
applications, and checks, payable to the appropriate account (include the
student's Social Security number on the check). Her address is FCCJ
North Campus, 4501 Capper Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32218. Credit card
payments can be made by contacting her office at 904/766-4444.

More information about the study-travel program is available at the
website:

http://web.fccj.org/~hdenson/index-travel.html.

Quote from a Writer's Quill

Writing is like walking in a deserted street.
Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie.
--John Le Carre

Submissions to the newsletter should generally be about writing or publishing.
If possible, please submit mss. on IBM diskette in either WordPerfect,
Microsoft Word, or RFT format. We pay in copies to the contributors,
with modest compensation for postage and copying. We pay $5 for pieces
of 500?599 words; $6, 600+; $7, 700+ words. For cartoons or art (in our
print-version), we pay $5 each. Writers and graphic artists retain
all property rights in their work(s).

ISSN No. 1084?6875

Calendar of Events

Meetings of NFW are held on the second Saturday of the month at 2 p.m.
on the Kent Campus of Florida Community College of Jacksonville. We generally
meet in F128B (auditorium conference room).

You may receive feedback from specific individuals by mailing the manuscript
and return postage to the above address. Be sure to allow time for the
manuscript to reach Kent.

You may also simply bring your ms. to any of these meetings:

Some dates to remember:

Sat., Dec. 8, 2 p.m., F128B, Kent Campus: NFW meeting.

Membership in the NFW

If you are writing a story or poem, you will need some expert feedback--the
sort that you will receive at a meeting of the North Florida Writers.
You won't profit from automatic praise that a close friend or relative
might give or jealous criticism from others who may feel threatened by
your writing.
The NFW specializes in CONSTRUCTIVE feedback that will enable your
manuscript to stand on its own two feet and demand that it be accepted
by an editor or agent. Hence, you need the NFW.
The North Florida Writers is a writer's best friend because we help
members to rid manuscripts of defects and to identify when a work is exciting
and captivating.
Membership in the NFW brings several benefits: subscription to
a monthly newsletter, $5-a-day discounts to the mid-May workshops of the
Florida First Coast Writers' Festival, and free admission to North Campus'
Fall Fest for Writers.
Membership is $15 for students, $25 for individuals, and $40 for a
family. (Make out checks to WRITERS.)
Is your membership current? To find out, check the mailing label.
If it says "0100" next to your last name, your membership expired in that
month. You do not have to pay back dues to activate your members,
so, if you last paid in 1992, don't worry about the months you were inactive.
Won�t you join today?
The following is an application. Mail your check to WRITERS, Box 109,
FCCJ Kent, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32205.

Name___________________________________________

St. address_______________________________________

Apt. No. ________________________________________

City ________________State _____ Zip ______________

E-mail address: __________________________________

How Does Critiquing Work?

When you attend a meeting of the North Florida Writers, you eventually
discover that NO ONE has ever died while his or her manuscript was being
read and critiqued. You may be ready to face the ordeal yourself.
. .or, reading this, you may wonder what exactly takes place during a critiquing.

First, you pitch your manuscript into a stack with others' works-in-progress.
Then one of the NFW members hands out each piece to volunteer readers,
taking care NOT to give you back your own manuscript to read.

Second, as the reading begins, each author is instructed NOT to identify
himself or herself and especially NOT to explain or defend the work.
The writer may never have heard the piece read aloud by another's voice,
so the writer needs to focus on the sound of his or her sentences.

Third, at the finish of each selection, the NFW members try to offer
constructive advice about how to make the story better. If a section
was confusing or boring, that information may be helpful to the author.
The NFW will listen to 10 pages (double-spaced) of prose (usually a
short story or a chapter).

UNHELPFUL FEEDBACK: As you listen to a manuscript, you may be
tempted to say, "That's the stupidest piece I've ever heard." Alas,
you aren't being CONSTRUCTIVE. If you simply do NOT like any, say,
science-fiction, then you may not have anything helpful to say. That
is all right. On the other hand, if you think that a piece was going
along okay and then fell apart, you can help the author by saying, "I accepted
the opening page, but, when the singing buffalo was introduced somewhere
on page 2, the piece lost it for me."

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